“I see the Alder Teacher Residency (ATR) as a program that really ensures teachers are ready to serve a classroom and community of historically underserved students. What I really appreciated about the residency was the amount of support I got from my director, mentor, fellow teachers and staff, and my cohort. Equity was a major part of the experience and making sure we knew where our students and families came from and how to best serve them.”

— Vitalis Obidi, Alum (Aspire Bay Area)

“As a resident, I taught in a safe, supported environment with an esteemed mentor and director who were able to provide real-time observations and coaching in order to help me make action-oriented reflections. I finished the yearlong program as a highly qualified credentialed teacher with a Master’s Degree. I was well-prepared for my first independent year teaching thanks to the supportive team the ATR program encompasses you with. Joining the ATR program was one of the best decisions I have ever made.”

— Shawna Koga, Alum and Mentor (Aspire Central Valley)

“The Alder Teacher Residency is an incredible pipeline that trains aspiring teachers with actual classroom experience working with a high-performing teacher while supporting them to earn their Master’s Degree simultaneously. The residents that we bring in to Aspire as first year teachers come to us with a level of experience, confidence, and knowledge that fast tracks their ability to connect with and impact scholars.”

— Mala Batra, Interim CEO of Aspire Public Schools

Our mission is to create opportunity and cultivate success for every student by recruiting and educating excellent teachers and leaders who reflect the diversity of our schools’ communities.

Faculty continually gather qualitative and quantitative data on the success of our work and engage with research in education to evolve and refine our model. The results of our work are held up against our vision to prepare exceptional teachers who change students’ lives, and these data help us to continually improve our program.

Outcomes that we monitor include:

During Program

Completion rates

Resident demographics

Evidence of resident learning

Mentors, directors, and instructors closely monitor our students throughout their residency for the three elements that fundamentally characterize an Alder educator:

Head: A well-developed philosophy of education that demonstrates a deep understanding of the theory and key research that form the foundation of the K–12 public school landscape.

Heart: An approach to their craft that shows a sophisticated grasp of the current social justice landscape and a commitment to educational equity for all students.

Hands: A strong grasp of the rigorous pedagogical skills that foster success in the classroom.

Beyond Program

Hiring rates

Retention rates

Teaching effectiveness rates

Over 8 Years, 84% of Residents Complete the Program in One Year

Alder’s 2017-2018 completion rate of 73% is below its 2016-2017 rate of 86% and its historic rate of 84%. The primary reason for this drop was the mid-year exit of 12 students due to a failure to demonstrate subject matter competency before lead teaching. The majority of students who exited are on track to finish program in 2018-2019; this will bring the total completion percentage for 2017-2018 to 88%.

Percentage of Students from Historically Underrepresented Groups

Percentage of Pell Grant Recipients and First Generation College Graduates

Over 90% of Residents Pass Master's Orals on First Attempt

As of 2017-18, at Least 78% of Residents Pass Each Gateway on First Attempt

Over 90% of Residents Pass State Teaching Performance Examinations on First Attempt